From the reference desk

By the Midland Daily News

Published
6:02 am EDT, Sunday, May 13, 2012

In a typical day, my colleagues and I, librarians at the reference desk of Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, will answer questions about taxes, divorce, health matters and school projects. People will ask how to use the photocopier, the internet computers, the word processing computer, their eReader and even the typewriter.

Our first and deepest love is books. We help people find the book they want. If we can't locate a book where it belongs, we will investigate every possibility before giving up. We can obtain books from other libraries. With access to our statewide catalog, "MelCat," a worldwide catalog, and the internet, we can often find even the most obscure works.

We keep up with popular culture -- what one of us doesn't know another usually does. Questions about popular books and movies are common. Twilight is by Stephanie Meyer, not Meyers. The Help, a very popular book and movie is difficult to find in the public library catalog. We can find it, tell you whether there is a copy available, and put a hold on it all in a few moments. Wrong titles and author names are common. A request for the "Snookie Stackhouse" series turns out to be the "Sookie Stackhouse" series by Charlaine Harris.

I tell the people at the Business Start-up program that we are the searching experts. Yes, we use Google, and many other sources. As librarians, we have the experience and the knowledge to search effectively. We listen to the description of your research project and suggest the best resources to use. Librarians assist high school and college students find appropriate material -- books, articles, web information -- for their academic work. Recently, there was a request for material regarding organ donation for a school paper. The student went away happy with several articles from the health reference database.

The library is bridging the technology gap that exists in this country. A librarian's biggest role today is teaching people to use the computer and providing computing and internet access for those who don't have it. Many must use a computer for essential tasks, such as to submit job applications or email a paper to an instructor. Not everyone has an internet connection even if they own a computer.

Whether you are looking for the latest Janet Evanovich, keeping in touch through email, or working on school assignments, the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library is the place. What is your question?